Woods was 22 and one year removed from making history as the first African-American to win the Masters when he and his father, Earl, had a private lunch date with Mandela, then the president of South Africa, at his home in 1998. Woods and his father were taken to a side room, Woods said, and waited for Mandela to join them.

During this time, however, as Woods has often said, he felt something come over him, to the point he asked his father if he, too, felt it. It was a different energy in the room, Woods said, as he stood waiting. Then Mandela walked into the room.

"That's an experience that I will never, ever forget," Woods said in the past.

On Thursday, following the first round of the Northwestern Mutual World Challenge at Sherwood Country Club, where Woods is playing host to 18 elite players in a tournament that benefits his foundation, the world's No. 1 spoke about the man who had a profound influence on him after learning of Mandela's death during the round.

"He certainly had an impact on my life and certainly on my father," Woods said. "I think that time frame when he came out, the country could have fallen apart. It could have gone a lot of different ways, and he led it to where it's at now, and the world is going to miss him.

" â?¦ I don't think any of us probably here could have survived (Mandela's imprisonment) and come out as humble and as dignified as he did, and to lead an entire nation and to basically lead the world when he came out.

"That's a testament to his will and his spirit and who he was."

On Thursday, Woods tweeted the following:

"Pop & I felt your aura when we met, I feel it today & I will feel it forever. You have done so much for humanity..."